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Increased use of heroin as an initiating opioid of abuse: Further considerations and policy implications by Theodore J. Cicero; Zachary A. Kasper; Matthew S. Ellis is a Medicine article available to read on EtoBox.

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## Introduction: Previously, we reported a marked increase in the use of heroin as an initiating opioid in non-tolerant, first time opioid users. in the current paper, we sought to update and expand upon these results, with a discussion of the policy implications on the overall opioid epidemic. ## Methods: Opioid initiation data from the original study were updated to include surveys completed through 2017 (n = 8382) from a national sample of treatment-seeking opioid users. in addition, past month abuse of heroin and prescription were analyzed as raw numbers of treatment program entrant in the last five years (2013-2017), drawing from only those treatment centers that participated every year in that time frame. ## Results: The updated data confirm and extend the results of our original study: the use of heroin as an initiating opioid increased from 8.7% in 2005 to 31.6% in 2015, with increases in overall ns per initiation year reflecting a narrowing of the "treatment gap", the time lag between opioid initiation from 2005 to 2015 and later treatment admission (up to 2017). slight decreases were observed in treatment admissions, but this decline was totally confined to prescription o

Who reads Increased use of heroin as an initiating opioid of abuse: Further considerations and policy implications?

Author

Theodore J. Cicero; Zachary A. Kasper; Matthew S. Ellis

Publisher

Elsevier Science; Elsevier ; Elsevier Ltd.; Elsevier BV (ISSN 0306-4603)

Published

2018

Language

EN

Field

Medicine (Health Sciences)